Over dinner at the Pump House in Fairbanks, Alaska, with听guides Alan Dixon, 鈥淔lyin鈥欌 Brian Robinson, and Justin Simoni, I read aloud the disclaimer-filled e-mail about the 听that the company鈥檚听PR firm sent me:
The [Tiger Wall Carbon 2] is intended for only the most advanced users. Although it鈥檚 extremely strong for its weight, it鈥檚 not indestructible. Special care during setup and extended trips is important, as rough handling, long-term abrasion, exposure to sharp objects, or rocky campsite selection may result in fabric punctures and tears. We鈥檝e provided a footprint to improve durability and self-adhesive patches for field repairs. Do not pitch it under pine trees or where it will rub against branches.
I was skeptical about the Tiger Wall Carbon (TWC) and the four other Carbon models when I at Outdoor Retailer last summer. And this e-mail made me even more concerned about using it on two eight-day guided trips in the Brooks Range, which started听the next day. When I asked the table for a second opinion, everyone was听in universal agreement: don鈥檛 do it.
But the forecast looked friendly for the first trip, and Justin had extra room in his tent, so I packed it anyway.
Perhaps to everyone鈥檚 surprise, the TWC survived two weeks of benign conditions north of the Arctic Circle. But it failed the following month in Yosemite National Park: on its 22nd听night out, I put a five-inch tear in the fly while setting it up. Further inspection revealed another pencil-eraser-size听hole of unknown origin elsewhere on the fly.
The Big Agnes Tiger Wall Carbon is a guilty pleasure. The and 听tents are exorbitantly expensive and unacceptably fragile, but they rival the weight of the lightest full-sided double-wall shelters while being more user-friendly because of their semi-freestanding pitch and often more spacious because of their steep sides and ends.
It鈥檚 a novel tent, but I鈥檇 only recommend it if you match all of the following criteria:
- You can afford to spend $1,000 to $1,200 on just a shelter.
- You baby your gear.
- You will not use it often (and will use it mostly in calm and dry conditions).
- You prioritize the weight of your gear over its performance.
- You don鈥檛 care to learn about or fuss with the minor eccentricities of trekking pole-supported shelters.听
Overall, the Tiger Wall Carbon is exactly what I feared: stupid light.
I believe that demand exists for semi-freestanding and freestanding tents that are made of Dyneema听composite fabric (DCF) and that are available from retail giants like REI and brick-and-mortar stores like Neptune Mountaineering. But听as it鈥檚 currently configured, the TWC does not properly address this niche.
Thankfully, the fix is very easy: Big Agnes must replace the 0.34-ounce-per-square-yard听DCF fly with heavier-duty 0.5-ounce-per-square-yard fabric (if not a听0.75-ounce-per-square-yard fabric)听and replace the 0.51-ounce-per-square-yard floor with a material that鈥檚 0.75 or 1.0 ounce听per square yard.
These changes would bump the TWC鈥檚 weight closer to the Tiger Wall鈥檚 Platinum build, but it鈥檇 be outrageously durable, waterproof, and storm resistant. Constructed as such, it might only be marginally lighter than the Platinum, but it鈥檇 be much higher performance.
What Should You Buy Instead?
If you are no longer considering the TWC but don鈥檛 know where else to look, let me offer two suggestions:
1. If you like the Tiger Wall design, consider Big Agnes鈥檚听Ultralight or Platinum trims, which are more durable and much more economical. Then听invest the leftover cash in other equipment that will offset the weight penalty.
- ($400, 2 pounds 3听ounces)
- ($450, 2 pounds 11 ounces)
- ($550, 1 pound 15 ounces)
- ($600, 1 pound 6听ounces)
2. If you want a very lightweight full-sided shelter that鈥檚 more durable, and you鈥檙e willing to embrace a fussier pitch, look to the cottage industry.
- 听plus听 ($430, 1 pound 11 ounces)
- 听plus听 ($560, 2 pounds 4听ounces)
- ($535, 1听pound)
- ($599, 1 pound 3 ounces)
- ($689, 1 pound 10 ounces)
- ($599, 1 pound 3听ounces)
- ZPacks Duplex plus听 ($125, 1 pound 15 ounces)
Product Specs
No other semi-freestanding double-wall shelter on the market rivals the weight (or cost) of the Tiger Wall Carbon.听
- MSRP: $1,000
- Weight:听1听pound 6听ounces听
- Capacity: Cramped for two听people, spacious for a soloist
- Design: Semi-freestanding, two side-entry doors
- Configurations: 1. Fly plus听inner /听2. Fly plus听inner plus听accessory footprint /听3. Inner on its own /听4. Fly plus听accessory footprint
- Vestibules: Two eight-square-foot vestibules
- Dimensions: Floor: 27 square feet;听52 inches wide, tapers to 42 inches; 86-inches long /听Peak height: 39 inches
- Materials: Fly: 0.34-ounce per-square-yard DCF /听Floor: 0.51-ounce-per-square-yard DCF /听Body: Breathable ripstop nylon /听Poles: Easton carbon fiber
Crazy Light
Along with the Tiger Wall 2 Carbon and Tiger Wall 3 Carbon, Big Agnes also released four other Carbon shelters in spring 2019.
- ($800, 1听pound)
- ($850, 1听pound 2听ounces)
- ($700, 11 ounces)
- ($500, 8听ounces)
The only 鈥渘ew鈥 product is the Onyx, which is an overpriced 8.5-square-foot听tarp. Otherwise听the Carbon builds are premium editions of existing Big Agnes models. Compared to听the Tiger Wall Platinum, the Carbon editions are 24 to 29 percent lighter; compared to听the Tiger Wall UL, the Carbon editions are 33 to 37 percent lighter.
I have only used the Tiger Wall 2 Carbon, but I think my experience and conclusions generally apply to the other Carbon models, too, given their shared materials and construction. If you didn鈥檛 meet the aforementioned criteria as a Tiger Wall Carbon customer, the other Carbon shelters won鈥檛 suit your needs either.
Basic Design
Two years ago, I reviewed the Tiger Wall UL3, shortly after it was released. Read that review, because I鈥檒l only provide a summary here.
The good:
- Steep side walls and ends, which optimize interior volume
- Fast and foolproof pitch, even on unfavorable ground
- Two side-entry doors and two vestibules
- Modularity, with three unique configurations (fly plus听body, body only, body plus听footprint)
The imperfect:
- Inherent weight penalty, since it cannot be pitched with trekking poles
- Body is vulnerable to precipitation during setup
- Stock stake loops are nonadjustable, creating difficulties in rocky and rooty campsites
- Realistically, less sleeping space听than advertised鈥攖he two-person is a spacious one-person tent, and the three-person is a comfortable two-person tent
Fragility
To drop weight from its already minimalist Platinum and UL builds, Big Agnes made four substitutions in creating the Carbon trims of the Tiger Wall, Fly Creek, and Scout.
- Fly: 0.34-ounce-per-square-yard听DCF, rather than 7-denier or 15-denier silicone-polyurethane-coated nylon
- Floor: 0.51-ounce-per-square-yard听DCF, rather than 10-denier or 15-denier silicone-polyurethane-coated nylon
- Poles: Easton carbon fiber, rather than DAC aluminum
- Body: Breathable nylon ripstop, rather than heavier no-see-um mesh
I slept in the Tiger Wall 2 Carbon for 26 nights, split about equally between the Brooks Range and Yosemite. Conditions were ideal for backpacking, less so for gear testing.听The tent was rained on twice, placed on soft ground nearly every night, kept away from dust and mud, and endured light winds only on a few nights.
On its 22nd night, a five-inch tear developed in the fly听along the edge of a reinforced area听while听I was trying to insert the horizontal ceiling pole into its pockets. It鈥檚 a tight fit听and actually requires bending the pole鈥攗nlike the UL and Platinum fly fabrics, the DCF fly cannot be stretched over it. I knew this was a vulnerable spot, since I鈥檇 busted both pull loops earlier on.
Upon further inspection, I found another hole in the fly. I don鈥檛 know the exact cause, but abrasion seems most likely.
I鈥檝e spent thousands of nights in the field, and I鈥檝e helped clients set up hundreds of different shelters. But I鈥檝e never seen a shelter fabric rip during setup or due to wind or precipitation听or develop an unexplained hole. The 0.34 DCF simply does not seem worthy of anything beyond just-in-case or emergency use. This observation is consistent with the application of DCF by cottage brands, which use 0.51 and 0.75 for the fly听and 0.75 and 1.0 for floors.
It鈥檚 worth noting that the floor, body, and poles all appear intact.
Repair Recommendations
A repair kit is included with the TWC. The kit includes DCF patches that adhere directly to the fabric.
Big Agnes does not recommend making repairs with duct tape, like I did. It 鈥渓eaves a bad residue and renders the fabric un-repairable,鈥 wrote听the company鈥檚 PR.
For additional tent repair tips, refer to .
Final Thoughts
I want the Carbon builds to succeed: freestanding and semi-freestanding tents made of Dyneema听composite fabric will be as light and user-friendly as their nylon counterparts听but offer a vastly superior performance. Hopefully, increased use of DCF will also drive down its price.
I applaud Big Agnes for being the first to this market. But I鈥檇 encourage the brand to rethink its fabric choices听and will steer most people away from the Carbon line until a more reliable version is available.